An American Legend

He could lounge around Boulder everyday, sipping lattes and talking about the glory days. Instead, he’s trying to save American distance runners from the fakes. by Jessica Griffiths

Frank Shorter won the 1972 Olympic marathon in Munich and finished second in the 1976 Games in Montreal. He helped pull America into a running boom in the 1970s and helped Boulder become the running mecca that it is today.

So, what’s Boulder’s most famous runner up to these days? Local trail runners know you can often find him lounging on his deck, watching runners travel around the trail in his backyard. But Frank Shorter is far from bored, dividing time between family, public appearances, a new book project and his fight against performance-enhancing drugs.

On Training

Currently, Shorter is working on writing a 160-page training book for introductory-level runners. He admits it’s becoming difficult to find that much to write about. “I can truly reduce my training theory to one typed page,” Shorter says and adds that he’ll be adding a lot of photographs to the book!